Dramatic growth in the amount of data that must be stored in a typical enterprise computer network, combined with the need for faster, more reliable and more efficient data access, and data management capabilities, and maintaining data consistency and currency have led many organizations to seek an improved way of storing, accessing, populating, and managing network data. In a traditional client-server computer network, a client computer requests information from a server computer. In response to the request, the server computer provides the requested information to the client computer. Individual users typically operate client computers, which are serviced by server computers. Server computers are typically operated by larger entities such as information providers, commercial organizations, government entities, and universities.
A client-server computer network can exist in the form of an intranet. An intranet is a client-server network configured for the private use of an enterprise and its authorized users. Within such a client-server computer network, and indeed within any client-server computer network, one or more servers can be configured to host one or more databases. Databases are well known in the art. A database is a specialized program for dedicated storage of large amounts of information. Typically databases are logical storage configurations that provide for flexible and efficient data storage and retrieval, as well as specialized functions for relating and cross-referencing data. A user of the client-server computer network can thus rapidly and easily access the data stored in a database. The data can be retrieved, used, modified and saved back to the database in an efficient manner and in a way that multiple network users can use and track changes to the data.
However, a problem with currently existing database systems and methods is consistency and currency of the stored data. Keeping stored data current is important to ensure that all database users have access to the most recent version of a particular data resource and to ensure that individual changes to the data are tracked and communicated to all users. This is especially true in enterprises that require intensive processing of large amounts of data by multiple users. Therefore, it is desirable to have a means to track changes to database information and to keep the information current and consistent for all users. For example, as a result of acquisition reform, government agencies and government contractors are now required to develop enterprise architectures for acquisitions programs that involve Information Technology (IT). Because IT is pervasive in the defense and commercial arenas, a need exists for tracking, cataloging and maintaining current the U.S. Government's voluminous and evolving acquisition requirements in operational procedures. With currently existing database systems, it is problematic to exhaustively discover, retrieve, catalog manage, maintain, share and distribute pertinent reference documents and Subject Matter Expert (SME) inputs that bear upon the data-intensive problem associated with enterprise architecture development.
Typically, prior art complex database systems are updated and maintained manually in a haphazard manner, either by a dedicated database technician or by individual users inputting updates to a knowledge database as they become aware of new information, such as through personal interactions, personal reading, meetings, or through some other information conduit. This haphazard means of updating a complex database is especially problematic when the information domain of interest is rapidly changing. Maintaining currency and consistency of the knowledge domain reference material is therefore an on-going challenge for current database management methods and systems.
Prior art database management systems and methods provide a poor solution to the data currency issue described above. Existing databases are thus only as current as the last inputs that were manually searched for and stored. This is because current database systems address the problem by using a large suite of disconnected software applications designed for management and distribution of various electronic artifacts. These applications typically require a great deal of “human-ware” to achieve the level of database sharing and collaboration that enterprises are now demanding.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and system for dynamically updating an enterprise architecture reference repository that can reduce or eliminate these problems and others associated with prior art database management systems and methods.